When buying a French dictionary, you need to consider your language proficiency and what you'll be using the dictionary for. It's also important to keep in mind that bilingual dictionaries are a great
tool, but they can have discrepancies, both major and minor. Their main weakness is in
offering words that are no longer used. The following French-English / English-French dictionaries are arranged by quantity and quality of entries.
This is the largest and best French-English English-French dictionary, with more than 2,000 pages.
Entries include slang, regionalisms, and expressions. There's also a useful
section on "language in use," with vocabulary and expressions grouped
by categories such as suggestions, advice, business correspondence, and much more. In my opinion, this is the
only option for fluent speakers and translators.
Abridged version of the above dictionary with 1,100 pages. Suitable for
advanced students.
Paperback dictionary with 100,000 entries, including slang, culture, and more. Intermediate students will find that this dictionary has everything they
need.
Very small, basic bilingual dictionary. Beginners and travelers can get
by with it, but if they use it regularly, they'll soon realize this dictionary's
limitations - it's only big enough for essentials.